Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Best Gift Ever

Yesterday a
friend gave me a Scottish Black Watch wool tam that he had purchased in
Scotland. As a Scottish-born admirer of the Black Watch, I will wear the tam
proudly.

My
friend paid for the gift, and I received it without having to contribute
anything to the purchase price. He had paid for it in full.

Christmas
is a celebration of the most costly and most cherished gift God has given to
us. The angel who announced the arrival of the Gift, said: “Today . . . a
Savior has been born to you.”

Don’t
miss the importance of the Christmas message. The virgin-born Son of God came
to Earth to save you and me, and He accomplished His mission on the cross.
There, He announced, “It is finished,” which is the equivalent of saying, “Paid
in full.”

Salvation—forgiveness
and eternal life—is a gift that demands nothing from us (Romans 6:23; Ephesians
2:8, 9). Indeed, we can contribute nothing to its purchase. Although
church-going, good citizenship, generosity, and kindness are commendable, they
cannot pay for even a small part of salvation.

So
what should we do? Just as I received the Black Watch tam joyfully and
thankfully, so each of us must accept God’s gift of salvation by receiving
Jesus as our Savior. The apostle John wrote that “as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become the children of God” (John 1:12).

May
you rejoice this Christmas in the wonderful, priceless gift of salvation!